The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-03-10
BEECHER DEATH.STRICKEN.
The Blow Came So Gradually Its Serl-
oasness Was Not Recognized
at First.
Ir. Beecher Unconscious Most of tho
lime and tho End Almost Hourly
= Expected.

lr. Beecher Unconscious Most Of tho
lime and tho End Almost Hourly
+ Expected.
STRICKEN DOWN.
Mr. BEkcaER DYING
NEW York, Special Telegram, March g.
The apoplectic stroke which the Rev Henry
Ward Beccher's physicians have long feared
came to-day with sudden and startling eff
tect There were, Of course, preliminary
symptoms running through Thursday and
Friday, but no one recognized in
them anything but a trifing illness, and
the blow came ut last with the force
and horror Of IN unexpected bolt There is,
in fact, little If any hope Of the great preach
cr's recovery. He may linger until Sunday
morning or Monday, with even some con-
SEQUENCES and show OF. life, but beyond that
the doctors In attendance can at present
give no assurance, and at late hour to-
night appearances indicated that Plymouth's
pastor would die on the Sabbath Mr..
Eeecher has been i'll since Thursday
He had been in this city the greater
part OF the day and went to his sons house
In Brooklyn late in the afternoon with q
feeling of nausea By the time he reached
the house he seemed quite Frustrated. DR.:
W. s Searle. who has been his family physi-
clan for years. was summoned In addition
to nausea and headache the doctor found
Mr.. Beccher suffering from o soreness about
the throat and chest to such an ex-
tent that he feared an attack of
pneumonia These symptoms quickly
passed away and he grew better, but when
he won't to bed he complained of severe
pain in the head After a while he dropped
of to sleep, but awoke at intervals all
through the night Toward morning he
vomited considerably. Mrs Beecher re-
NAMED in constant attendance upon him all
night After daylight he began to improve,
and by the time the doctor called he was
better. Through Friday his condition was
favorable. quieting oil alarm felt by the
family. He did not feel well enough to get
up, however, and was compelled to remain
away from the prayer meeting on Friday
night
NUMEROUS INQUIRIES
were made about his illness after the meet
ing, but "a the family and physician felt
sure that everything would be all right in q
few days, no general alarm was caused
the worse took place. 1t was of such an
mond OF this city was hastily summoned He
and d.. Searle made an examination, and de-
clared that Mr.. Beecher was suffering from
an apoplectdo attack He lay in q semi
comatose condition, but was reused by the
nor his unfailing sense Of humor had quite
forao him
"Can you raise your arm, Mr. Beecher2" asked
DR.. Hammond.
.Yss, guess 80" came the low reply:
We'll, high enough to hit you, doctor" said
the clergyman. with feeble smile.
He did not seem TO be suffering any pain,
and when approached by Mrs Beecher and
other members of the family he looked up
as though he recognized them and knew
what was going on. Later on in the after
noon. however, he closed his eyes and sunk
into partial Inconsistencies Mrs. Beecher
and Dr.: Hammond were standing by his
bedside discussing in whispers the
chances of saving his life, when
Mra Beecher suddenly suggested
that perhaps her husband understood
what they were saying. The doctor told her
to ask him, and bending low Mrs Beecher
said: Henry, Henry, do you know what We
said about you?" MI Beecher seemed to
make supreme effort His lips Enclosed,
and his breath came more quickly His right
hand opened and closed convulsively
and at last murmur of words came forth
that fell upon ears strained to the utmost
But the eyes never opened: "You-were-say-
ing thatI- could -not-recover-" was the dis
jointed sentence 80 painfully uttered. Then
STRANGE THING HAPPENED.
The words seemed as if spoken in q dream,
but the shadow Of q smile huttered across
the noble mouth only to vanish into an
expression almost Of Indifference. The in
tonation of Mr.. Beecher's voice expressed
absolute Indifference, as If he spoke of the
chances Of life and death of an entire
stranger. There was neither hope nor hope
lessness; neither gladness or sorrow: These
were the last words he uttered. The story
of Mr.. Beecher's alarming condition was not
made known until after noon, and even then
it travelled slowly. There have been so
many groundless rumors about his health
within the last few years that few were dis
posed to credit what was said about 1t
to-day. A visit to his house In Hicks
street, however, showed that it was
true The first bulletin was issued at 8
o'clock. It was pinned to the front door,
and stated that Mr.. Beecher had an attack
of apoplexy; that he was suffering no pain,
and that bulletins would be issued hourly.
SUNDAY KILOGRAMS.
With the second visit of Dr. W. A. Ham,
mond to the Plymouth pastors residence
Brooklyn. to-day. the last lingering hope OF
Mr.. Beccher's recovery was abandoned Dr.
Hammond was driven to the house at 2:3C
p. IN. He found his illustrious patient in q
state of profound coma. So complete was
the paralysis of the sensorial nerves that
when the physician pinched the flesh of the
left side until his nails met, Mr.. Beechel
failed to evince the faintest evidence OF
pain. Even when DR.. Hammond lifted the
left eyelld and pressed with his finger the
eyeball, the delicate muscles did not twitch.
A similar experiment on the right eye, how
ever, produced slight shrinking and mus
cular contraction, but there was no evidence
of active sensibility. The act of swallow
ing was attended with even greater diff
Guilty than on Saturday and the desire fol-
food was gone. The throbbing of the heart
was intermittent-that il, every third, fourth
Or fifth pulsation failed to complete its
action, and it was only q question of few
hours before every second pulsation would
be suspended until the heart was stilled for
ever
Mr.. Beecher will never know this earth again.
at least not to mortal sense, said DR.. Hammond
on his return from Brooklyn: The recognizes no
one about him. and makes no responses OF any
kind to questions addressed TO him"
Does he feel any PAIN or even physical dis
Qu1etude?"
None whatever: it is such death as would
like to suffer. only less protracted: blood YES
sci OF tho brain has ruptured. This might have
resulted from any sudden exertiOn, not neces-
eariy severe If the blood vessel was already worn
by years of mental activity that had ceas-
lessly kept the minute aud threadlike tissues of
the cerebrel!um ple1horic with blood. 1t is true
Of the severest kind, but not through any medi-
cines that we can give him. Mr. Beechers case
pen to Notn~
be done beyond keeping him perfectly
quiet. his head we'll elevated and